Print
E-mail
Comment
Mammal takes up residence with dinos at RMDRC
Norma Engelberg
While most of the specimens at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center are either dinosaurs, marine or flying reptiles or fish, now a semi-aquatic mammal has been added to the mix.
Didelphodon, known affectionately as Taz because of his Tazmanian Devil-like skull, is a marsupial about the size of a modern river otter that lived in the late Cretaceous.
Paleontologist Ray Vodden said the fossilized bones were found on a Triebold Paleontology dig site in South Dakota.
“It evidently died in its borrow,” he said. “The fossil was fractured into tiny pieces and it has taken me more than a year to put it all back together.”
Previously only bits and pieces of Dilephodon skulls have been found. This is the most complete specimen ever found, he said.
At first many scientists thought the Dilephodon was a land-based quadruped but with this more complete specimen it is thought that it was actually a semi-aquatic animal.
“It has a heahas features like an otter,” Vodden said. “The feet ratios, teeth designed to eat shellfish, the shape of upper and lower arm bones and other adaptations all indicate that this was a swimmer.”
The animal was much larger than most late Cretaceous mammals.
“We think it’s bigger than most because it had to compete with crocodiles,” Vodden said. “The only living semi-aquatic marsupial alive today it the Chironectes — the yapok — that lives in Central America.”
While most of the specimens at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center are either dinosaurs, marine or flying reptiles or fish, now a semi-aquatic mammal has been added to the mix.
Didelphodon, known affectionately as Taz because of his Tazmanian Devil-like skull, is a marsupial about the size of a modern river otter that lived in the late Cretaceous.
Paleontologist Ray Vodden said the fossilized bones were found on a Triebold Paleontology dig site in South Dakota.
“It evidently died in its borrow,” he said. “The fossil was fractured into tiny pieces and it has taken me more than a year to put it all back together.”
Previously only bits and pieces of Dilephodon skulls have been found. This is the most complete specimen ever found, he said.
At first many scientists thought the Dilephodon was a land-based quadruped but with this more complete specimen it is thought that it was actually a semi-aquatic animal.
“It has a heahas features like an otter,” Vodden said. “The feet ratios, teeth designed to eat shellfish, the shape of upper and lower arm bones and other adaptations all indicate that this was a swimmer.”
The animal was much larger than most late Cretaceous mammals.
“We think it’s bigger than most because it had to compete with crocodiles,” Vodden said. “The only living semi-aquatic marsupial alive today it the Chironectes — the yapok — that lives in Central America.”
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. |
